Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population according to tertiles (T) of baseline CQI.
| Tertile (n) | T1 (222) | T2 (206) | T3 (189) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CQI | 7.7 ± 1.3 | 11.4 ± 1.1 | 15.6 ± 1.3 | |
| Women | 83 (37.4) | 96 (46.6) | 106 (56.1)a | .001 |
| Recruiting center | <.001 | |||
| Alicante | 26 (11.7) | 60 (29.1)a | 47 (24.9)a | |
| Barcelona | 15 (6.8) | 21 (10.2) | 28 (14.8)a | |
| Reus | 157 (70.7) | 94 (45.6)a | 89 (47.1)a | |
| Valencia | 24 (10.8) | 31 (15.0) | 25 (13.2) | |
| Smoking status | .651 | |||
| Former smoker | 93 (41.9) | 78 (37.9) | 70 (37.0) | |
| Never smoked | 99 (44.6) | 100 (48.5) | 98 (51.9) | |
| Current smoker | 30 (13.5) | 28 (13.6) | 21 (11.1) | |
| Hypercholesterolemia prevalence | 142 (64.0) | 141 (68.4) | 126 (66.7) | .613 |
| Hypertension prevalence | 189 (85.1) | 168 (81.6) | 143 (75.7) | .051 |
| Diabetes prevalence | 51 (23.0) | 48 (23.3) | 55 (29.1 | .286 |
| Age (years) | 64.7 ± 5.2 | 65.2 ± 5.0 | 65.0 ± 4.3 | .489 |
| Body weight (kg) | 88.5 ± 13.4 | 87.0 ± 12.6 | 85.9 ± 12.8 | .132 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 109.1 ± 9.4 | 108.0 ± 10.4 | 106.1 ± 9.6a | .009 |
| BMI (kg/m2 | 32.9 ± 3.6 | 32.9 ± 3.5 | 32.8 ± 3.4 | .955 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 198.3 ± 36.8 | 200.4 ± 38.3 | 203.9 ± 37.8 | .317 |
| HDL-cholesterol (mg/dL) | 48.5 ± 10.9 | 49.8 ± 10.8 | 50.4 ± 12.5 | .226 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mg/dL) | 117.1 ± 31.3 | 121.1 ± 33.1 | 125.3 ± 32.1a | .048 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 172.9 ± 98.2 | 157.0 ± 90.3 | 153.6 ± 96.9 | .860 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL) | 116.6 ± 24.2 | 114.0 ± 24.0 | 115.1 ± 25.4 | .547 |
| Insulin (mU/mL) | 20.5 ± 11.2 | 19.0 ± 11.0 | 19.2 ± 11.5 | .377 |
| HOMA-IR index | 6.0 ± 3.8 | 5.5 ± 4.0 | 5.7 ± 4.4 | .391 |
| Glycated hemoglobin (%) | 6.1 ± 0.8 | 6.0 ± 0.7 | 6.1 ± 0.8 | .791 |
| MedDiet adherence score | 7.2 ± 2.1 | 8.3 ± 2.5a | 9.3 ± 2.5a,b | <.001 |
| Physical activity (METs min/day) | 323.5 ± 301.9 | 365.1 ± 311.9 | 421.3 ± 396.0 | .014 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 2500.4 ± 476.9 | 2447.4 ± 532.3 | 2477.3 ± 474.8 | .543 |
| Carbohydrate intake (g/day) | 255.5 ± 61.6 | 240.0 ± 73.4a | 238.6 ± 57.4a | .012 |
| Fiber intake (g/day) | 22.6 ± 5.9 | 26.0 ± 6.8a | 33.3 ± 8.3a,b | <.001 |
| Glycemic index | 57.3 ± 3.5 | 53.6 ± 4.7a | 52.3 ± 4.6a,b | <.001 |
| Ratio whole total grain | 0.04 ± 0.1 | 0.2 ± 0.2a | 0.5 ± 0.3a,b | <.001 |
| Ratio solid liquid carbohydrate | 1.0 ± 0.04 | 1.0 ± 0.03a | 1.0 ± 0.02a,b | <.001 |
CQI, carbohydrate quality index; BMI, body mass index; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; MedDiet, Mediterranean diet; METs, metabolic equivalents of task. Data described as number (percentage) for categorical variables or mean ± standard deviation for numerical variables. Differences across tertiles are calculated using one-way ANOVA test or Pearson’s chi-squared test differences between tertiles are calculated using Student’s independent sample t-test or Pearson’s chi-squared test. a p < 0.05 vs T1, b p < 0.05 vs T2.